of the couture houses and see if something can be organised.’ Lee opened her mouth to protest, but was forestalled. ‘As my wife you will have a position to maintain. After the vintage I entertain the buyers. As my wife and hostess you will be expected to mingle with women whose clothes and jewels come only from the finest houses.’
‘The vintage?’ Lee went white with dismay. ‘But that’s six months away!’
‘So?’ Gilles was very cool. ‘Is six months of your life too high a price to pay for your fiancé’s peace of mind, and my silence? By then Louise will have turned her attentions in other directions.’
‘And you will be able to search for a dutiful, virginal bride in peace.’
Gilles inclined his head.
‘You appear to take an inordinate amount of interest in the chastity of my eventual bride, but as she will be the mother of my children, it is only natural that I should wish her to be pure and untainted.’
‘Unlike her husband.’
‘Silence! You go too far! Do you goad me because I refuse to join you in the gutter? Be careful that I do not teach you the real meaning of degradation!’
NEVER HAD she seen so many breathtakingly elegant clothes, Lee thought in a daze. She and Gilles had been sitting on the dainty gilt chairs in this pale pink and dove grey salon for half an hour while model after model paraded in front of them, and so far Gilles had not said one word, apart from introducing Lee to the black-gowned vendeuse as his bride.
‘My wife is young and has had a convent education,’ he said at last, ‘and I should like to see her dressed accordingly.’
The vendeuse’s brow cleared instantly.
‘We have an entire trousseau designed for a young South American girl, which is no longer required. An elopement, you understand, about which the family do not wish to talk. They are very proud and the girl had been reared from birth for the grand mariage
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
